Sergi Roberto

Blaugrana Bull

HiiiPoWeR
I could understand Koeman's decision to include him in the lineups again to get him some rhythm because we were playing twice a week for a longer period of time.
But it was only to keep Dest or Busi more fresh not to let Sergi play 90 mins when he is clearly not ready for that.
 

mc_lovin

Senior Member
There are some key games, which alter the way you look at certain players. This was the one for Roberto. He moved from okayish to insufferable. I am completely done with him.
 

jairzinho

Senior Member
There are some key games, which alter the way you look at certain players. This was the one for Roberto. He moved from okayish to insufferable. I am completely done with him.

iirc, this guy was one of the main culprits in the 0-4 Anfield meltdown. We just have to accept the fact that we're not going to win high pressure games with seniors like Bob, Pique, Busi, Alba etc.
 

Windhook

Well-known member
Can't forget the close up, the empty look on his face, the nth time in row he fucked up and lost control of the ball for throw-in.
 

Bobo32

Senior Member
Where are you Bobo... Tell me more about his qualities pleaseeeeeeee.

I have made a few posts about his game on this forum already.

I saw a few errors from him, and I guess the first goal can be blamed on him if you really want to find a scapegoat afterwards, although I don't think a wing back should be the one meant to catch the run behind the defence in a counter in this system. Other than that I saw a very intense and tirelessly running player, always trying to run behind, most of the time taking the safe option with the ball.

I see no reason to single him out, he played a position in a team. I don't want him to smash crosses into nobody (he had at least a couple good crosses I remember though), and I don't want him trying to dribble vs 2 players when it's not his strength, and the rest of the team isn't even ready for it. He found Messi or De Jong with their face towards the goal constantly, it should be a better option than him trying to do things on his own.

Obviously, most Barcelona supporters seem to be singling him out as the big reason for the loss. It would be interesting to see a more thorough analysis, the moaning seems to be mostly based on feelings - the impatience and frustration from the game and the need for someone to blame. Please explain in detail why he was so bad?
It's a bit strange that Dest all of a sudden gets 0 minutes. But I think people massively misjudges the amount of back passes he also does in this system...
 

YodaMaster

Member
I have made a few posts about his game on this forum already.

I saw a few errors from him, and I guess the first goal can be blamed on him if you really want to find a scapegoat afterwards, although I don't think a wing back should be the one meant to catch the run behind the defence in a counter in this system. Other than that I saw a very intense and tirelessly running player, always trying to run behind, most of the time taking the safe option with the ball.

I see no reason to single him out, he played a position in a team. I don't want him to smash crosses into nobody (he had at least a couple good crosses I remember though), and I don't want him trying to dribble vs 2 players when it's not his strength, and the rest of the team isn't even ready for it. He found Messi or De Jong with their face towards the goal constantly, it should be a better option than him trying to do things on his own.

Obviously, most Barcelona supporters seem to be singling him out as the big reason for the loss. It would be interesting to see a more thorough analysis, the moaning seems to be mostly based on feelings - the impatience and frustration from the game and the need for someone to blame. Please explain in detail why he was so bad?
It's a bit strange that Dest all of a sudden gets 0 minutes. But I think people massively misjudges the amount of back passes he also does in this system...


Blablablah... Yeah right, just shut up you can fuck off and go support Roberto the fraud somewhere else, probably Alaves or similar, that’s where he belongs.
 

serghei

Senior Member
I have made a few posts about his game on this forum already.

I saw a few errors from him, and I guess the first goal can be blamed on him if you really want to find a scapegoat afterwards, although I don't think a wing back should be the one meant to catch the run behind the defence in a counter in this system. Other than that I saw a very intense and tirelessly running player, always trying to run behind, most of the time taking the safe option with the ball.

I see no reason to single him out, he played a position in a team. I don't want him to smash crosses into nobody (he had at least a couple good crosses I remember though), and I don't want him trying to dribble vs 2 players when it's not his strength, and the rest of the team isn't even ready for it. He found Messi or De Jong with their face towards the goal constantly, it should be a better option than him trying to do things on his own.

Obviously, most Barcelona supporters seem to be singling him out as the big reason for the loss. It would be interesting to see a more thorough analysis, the moaning seems to be mostly based on feelings - the impatience and frustration from the game and the need for someone to blame. Please explain in detail why he was so bad?
It's a bit strange that Dest all of a sudden gets 0 minutes. But I think people massively misjudges the amount of back passes he also does in this system...

It's not even about blaming now. It's about players who are systematically either finished, heavily declined, or not very good, sometimes even more than one is true. Everyone can make a mistake, but it can be either a situational error, like the two huge blunders Varane did vs City last year or they can be systematic recurrent errors committed by a player who is not good enough.

The Mingueza error was a situational error, a situation where he could've made contact with the ball but he just didn't time his move well, happens once every 10 games for even the best defenders. The errors of Roberto and Stegen, and Umtiti (to a lesser extent here but the man is generally terrible) are all the "n" repeat of the sign that they are done.

So, here is 1)

1ming.jpg


So, you have Umtiti who breaks the line and goes up to intercept. And here's the big problem. The man is finished, too slow, too heavy, he just goes up and more than half the team the other players just exploit his slowness with ease. When you go up to intercept, fucking make sure you at least make contact with the player and you don't catch air, because when you move up, permutations of positions happen. It's a law in football. You don't get the ball, at least get there in time to make a foul. :lol: Umtiti is so finished, the man can't get close enough to make a foul, let alone take the ball.

Both Umtiti and Pique are slow idiots (Pique still has merits in other areas) who think they are still great but in fact, they are slowness personified. Every attacker worth his salt leaves them hanging when they break shape to intercept. Mbappe had fun with those idiots all night trying to press him. :lol:

Like here, Umtiti goes up, Pique has to adjust and cover for him, Mingueza has to narrow down and go more central to keep the shape compact, and of course, this whole move translates to Roberto. But Roberto is a defensive liability which is the best way to describe him as a right back.

He seems to be somewhat close to his marker when the action starts. :lol: Seems to be. We'll see later.

First, let's get something straight, this is not about "blame" here. This is about players who are not good enough stinking up the place AGAIN. When one capable player makes a situational error (bad touch basically), he can't be bailed out by them because they are terrible in a generalized way. With all the shit some people gave Semedo for his weak offensive output (deserved maybe), I've seen this type of play dozens of time, sometimes more than once a game, with Semedo tracking the runner and isolating him to the point that the worst we get from this "exposed" defensive shape is a corner against us. Because the man was fast and hard to beat in 1 vs 1 on pure speed or strength. Against Roberto, any decent player who can run fairly well, he smokes him I kid you not.

Btw, note here how close Roberto is from his marker. And note how far Mingueza is. We're talking about pure defensive ability here. Strength, speed, commitment.

Photo 2)

ming2.jpg


Imagine how weak Roberto is at 1 vs 1, and at running in general. Mingueza basically has to partially stop his run (because he has that moment when he badly tries to control the ball, not the easiest ball to control btw), and he then has to restart his run from a near still position. Roberto, in comparison, doesn't stop and has only one job. To follow the runner (his fucking man to block here), so that when the runner has to focus on his first touch and slows down a bit, Roberto can use that time to gain a good position on him and bother him enough to not have a clean shot.


Photo 3)

ming4.jpg


This is fucking unreal. First, look how much ground Mingueza recovered in comparison with Roberto. That little shit already gave up and let Mingueza deal with it, even though right when the action started, the pair was assumed, Roberto was the one paired up with that opponent.

Also, watch that action in real-time, if Stegen doesn't go out, Mingueza is already preparing a sliding tackle because he got close enough for a last-ditch desperate block (thanks to Roberto being nowhere), but because Stegen goes out, he can't do it anymore. Now watch the German. Instead of making himself bigger he throws his hands in the air like an idiot and goes with his legs. The first rule when the attacker is this close, is you keep your hands right next to your legs. The last you should be worried is the space above your head, the guy won't Messi chip you idiot! He's too close and the ball can't get so high so sudden unless he fucking chips you like peak Messi.
 
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Bobo32

Senior Member
It is nice to analyse a situation and I am sorry for not replying very thoroughly, but here is my reading of that situation: (which is one of the situations I contented earlier might be viewed as an error by Roberto)
Here is a moving picture: https://youtu.be/_UDoTJJ2Bas?t=63

In your picture 1, the fault lies at the back 3, entirely. Main mistake is on Mingueza, who should never allow a pass inbetween him and Pique. Umtiti and Pique could both be placed one or two meters differently in order to make it easier for Mingu. Umtiti is correctly intending to pressure the ball holder but is not able to get close enough, Pique is making the pass inbetween - his main duty - impossible, but he is too much on the safe side.

As Mingu knows his duty, he tries to intercept the pass but fails, this makes his error larger, and it results in a 1v1.

Roberto, who shouldn't even be involved in the situation, is sprinting home, but is not first into the situation and needs to stop in order not to cause a penalty. I guess maybe 1% of defenders would be first on that ball on that angle with a hero tackle, but it should never be the duty of a WB in a 5-3-2 to follow a player behind the back 3, and so centrally on the pitch!
It is missing the point entirely to show differences between Roberto/Mingu in picture 3, as Roberto had stopped and Mingu had a perfect angle to get into the situation. The attacker was shooting whether MatS came out or not, and Mingu was nowhere near being able to stop the 1' post shot with a tackle.

You could say that Roberto could've made it easier for Mingueza by not sprinting back and giving a "false sense of security", I see a lot of these problems in the team where duties are not clear to say the least. To that I could agree, but I have a hard time faulting Roberto for that situation anyway. It is insane to expect him to be first on that side of the pitch as well as on the other side. Prime Alves wouldn't be able to. And Barcelona are playing with three pure defenders now already, remember.
 

cro-man

Active member
Something is really wrong with this club. How is it possible that this guy is still here and starting games? Didnt he cost us enough? Send this clown on loan and I swear at the end he would end up at club like getafe and would compete with players like alena. Also he is one of the captains as well this looser:lol:

I Would pay just to see this guy playing for a club like city pool real or bayern. Just to see how they would react having this clown on the field.
 

serghei

Senior Member
In your picture 1, the fault lies at the back 3, entirely. Main mistake is on Mingueza, who should never allow a pass inbetween him and Pique. Umtiti and Pique could both be placed one or two meters differently in order to make it easier for Mingu. Umtiti is correctly intending to pressure the ball holder but is not able to get close enough, Pique is making the pass inbetween - his main duty - impossible, but he is too much on the safe side.

Mingueza's error is with the interception. What you say it's impossible. :lol: How can he stop a pass between him and Pique, they cover the zone, they apply the principles of zonal defense. The initial mistake is by Umtiti. He breaks shape, goes to intercept, and fails miserably. But still, the situation is containable. Barca has numbers (but then this is deceiving because numbers don't count if you have duds who can't run and fold 1 vs 1). Then, as I said, Pique covers for Umtiti's absence, Mingueza goes more centrally (basically a standard move), and Roberto has to cover the wide zone (again, as it is normal).

There are two mistakes here. Mingueza with the interception, and Roberto because he's a terrible defender who constantly gets beaten for pace by any winger with some speed (which is the majority of wingers since speed and pace are what they're known for basically).

Positionally, Mingueza makes no error. His mistake is purely technical, more precisely coordination. Roberto's error is what we've known of him. An unreliable defender who is a weak link in any individual duel.

Roberto, who shouldn't even be involved in the situation, is sprinting home, but is not first into the situation and needs to stop in order not to cause a penalty. I guess maybe 1% of defenders would be first on that ball on that angle with a hero tackle, but it should never be the duty of a WB in a 5-3-2 to follow a player behind the back 3, and so centrally on the pitch!

How is it not Roberto's business, when the pair is set from the start? Look at the picture, Roberto takes on the Granada player when Pique and Mingueza adjust for Umtiti missing. It's basically a back 4 there. Roberto is the RB, the RB is the one directly in charge to block the opposing wide player, whenever the defense becomes a 4, like here.

It's a standard move. If Umtiti doesn't wander, Pique is positioned where Mingueza is in the picture (or thereabouts), and Mingueza even wider, very close to where Roberto is, making Mingueza the marker of Machis.

It is missing the point entirely to show differences between Roberto/Mingu in picture 3, as Roberto had stopped and Mingu had a perfect angle to get into the situation. The attacker was shooting whether MatS came out or not, and Mingu was nowhere near being able to stop the 1' post shot with a tackle.

Roberto has stopped because his marker smoked him and left him for dead because he's fucking slow and turtles should NOT be on wing duty, let alone at wingback where they basically have to be speedy monsters and make the whole flank up and down. That's precisely the point. The 1 vs 1 was Roberto vs Machis, Machis smoked him as if he wasn't there, then became Mingueza vs Machis, but it was too late.
 
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Birdy

Senior Member
Every day we should learn something new.

Today, I learned that Sergi Roberto earns as much as Kimmich, and more than Virgil Van Dijk.

:facepalm:
 

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